The Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Quick and Easy Dishes to Prepare at Home by Diana Kuan.

Diana Kuan’s new book, “The Chinese Takeout Cookbook,” is full of recipes for those classic Chinese foods that people love to order in restaurants or take home.

Here are three recipes from the book that can be eaten any time but are also suitable for serving at Chinese New Year.

PORK AND MUSHROOM DUMPLINGS

A perpetual favourite for snacks or meals, dumplings are fun to make at home and easily adaptable to suit your cravings.

A favourite combination for the filling is pork and mushrooms, with the richness of the pork complementing the earthiness of the mushrooms. But feel free to vary the ingredients. Pork and cabbage is a Beijing classic, while lamb with leeks is popular in western China. If you love seafood, try shrimp and crab. For vegetarians, spinach with mushrooms and scallions makes an incredibly tasty combination.

As for dipping sauces, you can use soy sauce or sriracha sauce alone or make a soy and vinegar dipping sauce.

Any dumplings you don’t cook right away can be frozen for a quick meal or snack later on. They can also be pan-fried or boiled straight out of the freezer; just add 1 minute to the boiling time or steaming part of the pan-frying.

In a large bowl, mix together mushrooms, pork, scallions, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Keep wrappers covered with a slightly damp towel until ready to use to prevent them from drying out. Fill a ramekin or small bowl with water and have it next to you; this will be for sealing the dumplings.

Take a wrapper and place a heaping 5 ml (1 tsp) of filling in the middle. Be careful not to put in too much or it will leak out during folding process.

Dip your finger in the water and moisten wrapper edges all around. Take the dumpling in your hand and fold the wrapper in half without sealing it. With your right thumb and index finger, make a pleat in the centre of the top layer of the wrapper, leaving the bottom layer unpleated.

Make 2 more identical pleats in the same direction, until you end up with 3 pleats on the right side. With your left thumb and index finger, make 2 more pleats on the left side. Press all the pleats to seal. The finished wrapped dumpling should resemble a crescent.

Lay finished dumpling on a plate. Keep dumplings covered with a slightly damp towel while you repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

For pan-frying, make sure to use a large flat-bottomed skillet or a wok with a wide flat surface area and have a lid ready. Heat skillet over medium-high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add 15 ml (1 tbsp) of the peanut oil and swirl to coat the bottom.

Working in batches, line dumplings in pan, smooth side down. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the smooth side starts to brown. Reduce heat to medium. Carefully add about 125 ml (1/2 cup) water to the pan, and immediately cover with a lid to contain the spitting oil. Let dumplings steam for 4 to 5 minutes or until all or most of the water has evaporated. Remove lid and loosen dumplings with a spatula. They should be golden brown on the bottom. Turn off the heat.

If you are doing repeated batches, wash and dry pan or wipe it out so that there is no residual water when you pan-fry your next batch. Repeat pan-frying process with remaining dumplings, adding more oil as necessary, or freeze some for a rainy day.

(Alternatively, if you would rather boil your dumplings, just cook them in a pot of boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes.)

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, black vinegar and sesame oil.

Transfer sauce to small sauce dishes and serve. It’s best to use immediately as the sauce loses its potency if refrigerated.

BUDDHA’S DELIGHT

Buddha’s Delight is traditionally served on the first day of Chinese New Year, a practice stemming from an old Buddhist custom of spiritual cleansing. In fact, the recipe’s Cantonese name is simply jai, meaning “vegetarian food.”

Some ingredients, such as lily buds and bean thread noodles, may require a special trip to a Chinese market. If you are unable to find lily buds, Kuan says they can be omitted.

Remove lid, add drained bean thread noodles, cover wok again and simmer for about another 5 minutes or until noodles are cooked. (Don’t worry if the dish looks a little soupy; the noodles will absorb remaining broth.)

Ladle everything into a deep serving dish and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings as part of a multicourse meal.

ALMOND COOKIES

Almond cookies have a nutty fragrance and lightly sweet crunch. This recipe is an easy way to whip up dozens of these cookie classics.

In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat in softened butter a few pieces at a time at low speed, until texture resembles that of cornmeal. Beat in eggs and almond extract until a smooth dough is formed.

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